Time Served & Probation for Multiple High Speed Chases & Stolen Property

Charge(s):

CC: 129(a) – Obstruct Peace Officer, s.334(b) – Theft x 2, s.249.1(1) – Fail to Stop Motor Vehicle in order to Evade a Peace Officer, s.430(1)(a) – Mischief, s.355(b) – Possession of Stolen Property – s.145(5) Fail to Attend Court x 3; TSA: s.53(1)(b) – Display unauthorized licence plate x 2, s.54(1)(a) – Drive without Insurance, s.94(2) – Drive while unauthorized x 3; s.166(2)(c) – Fail to Remain Stopped until Permitted to Leave by Peace Officer – PTA: s.2(1)(a) – Trespassing.

Allegations:

After having served numerous months in prison for engaging the police in a high speed car chase with his five year-old son as a passenger, my client became homeless, jobless and alone, surviving on the streets by stealing and squatting in other people’s property. After stealing gasoline, my client was pursued by the police. He initially pulled over, but then accelarated as the police officer approached his vehicle. The officer gave chase, but my client got away. 30 minutes later, the police caught up to him and again, he escaped after a high speed chase. My client had warrants for his arrest, he had no insurance and his license had been suspended for failing to pay child support. While on release for these offences, he stole a camping trailer, in order to have a place to live. Again, while on release, the police tried to detain my client for driving a vehicle with a license plate that belonged to a different vehicle. My client initially pulled over, but then sped away when the officer approached his window, causing the officer to run after the vehicle. He then engaged the police in a high speed chase, resulting in his escape, only to be tracked down and arrested shortly therafter. Again, while on release, my client continued to drive while unauthorized and with a licence plate that belonged to a different vehicle. He also failed to attend court on a few occasions. The final incident which caused him to remain detained until disposition is that he was found living inside someone’s camping trailer within the grounds of the storage facility. When the owner went to check on her trailer, she noticed that someone appeared to living inside. The police located my client hiding in the bathroom at the rear of the trailer. My client confessed to all of his crimes during police interviews.

Result:

A Pre-Sentence Report and a Psychological Assessment were completed prior to sentencing. He was sentenced to one day, no warrant of committal, taking into account nearly four months of pre-trial custody, followed by a period of probation for 18 months. He was also required to pay several fines in relation to the traffic safety offences.